Haumarutanga rori - pakeke

Road safety - adults

The Travel Safe team work in the community to reduce accidents and improve road safety.

Young Driver Workshop

Free young driver workshops are aimed at road users aged between 16 and 24, who hold a current learner or restricted driver licence. Participants will leave with improved knowledge, confidence, and skills.

Each workshop includes:

A 60-minute one-on-one driving lesson with a certified instructor
Waka Kotahi NZTA roadworthy vehicle check (what to check to ensure your vehicle is safe and roadworthy)
Driver behaviour awareness (speed, impairment, restraints, distraction, and fatigue
Awareness session on sharing the road with heavy vehicles

Parents/caregivers are strongly encouraged to attend but it’s not compulsory. The four-hour workshops are held during school term holidays, usually between 9am and 1pm.

Drive has everything you need to prepare for your learner, restricted and full licence tests.

Visit the Drive website

Young driver workshop

Car Restraints

Looking for support around car seat restraints? Contact one of our local car seat technicians at travelsafeschools@tauranga.govt.nz. We offer free car seat installations, checks, and will help answer any questions or concerns regarding your car restraint.

Carseat installation

Parking behaviour

Drop off and pick up are busy times that pose a safety risk at the school gate. Travel Safe help schools to communicate things like parking time limits, drop off and pick up zones, parking over the kerb and other safety risks at the school gate. We deliver an in-school parking and safety programme named Peaceful Parker, and partner with council parking officers to do school visits when requested by schools or the community.

Blindzone Workshops

Blindzone workshops allow people to see the world from a truck driver’s point of view. Through a series of practical scenarios, participants will learn where to place themselves so they are visible to truck drivers and will leave with more awareness and confidence on the road.

For more on Blindzone and cycling around heavy vehicles visit Share the Road.

Blindzone workshop

Be Bright, Be Safe, Be Seen

This winter visibility programme reminds cyclists, walkers, runners, and scooter riders to have lights, bright clothing, and reflective gear if they are out and about during early mornings, evenings, and at other times of low light and poor visibility.

Whether commuting to work or school, being active for fun or fitness, or popping down to the local shops, people should take extra care and keep safe by being fully visible on roads and paths.

All cyclists are encouraged to wear high-visibility clothing and ensure their front light, rear light and rear red reflector are all working correctly and are clean.

View the official New Zealand code for cycling for more information.

Eight Tauranga liquor stores fail underage alcohol operation

Eight Tauranga liquor stores have been found selling alcohol to under 18-year-olds following a recent controlled purchase operation led by Tauranga City Council.

A recent controlled purchase operation conducted by the Tauranga City Council Alcohol Licensing Team and a Tauranga Police Alcohol Harm Prevention Co-ordinator has revealed serious breaches of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.

Thirty-four off-license premises were visited on Sunday 9 March under the supervision of police and Alcohol Licensing Inspectors.

Tauranga City Council Alcohol Licensing Team Leader Sam Kemp says eight of these stores sold alcohol without verifying the buyer’s age or requesting identification.

Sam says when questioned by Inspectors, the duty managers involved admitted they had not asked for the volunteer’s age, date of birth, or if they had any suitable form of identification.

“It’s hugely disappointing that these managers simply processed the sale and allowed the purchase to proceed without performing this most basic of checks,” Sam says.

“The community needs to have confidence that those premises who have been granted liquor licenses will not sell alcohol to underage teenagers.”

This latest operation follows a similar one in November last year, where three premises were found to be in breach of the law for similar offending.

“The increase in non-compliance has raised concerns about the effectiveness of responsible service training,” Sam says.

“As a result, Tauranga Alcohol Licensing Inspectors will be filing suspension applications for the duty manager certificates and Off licences of the offending premises with the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority.”

Posted: Mar 14, 2025,